Featuring five “resonator” modes, one can build chords or make sounds appear “bigger” by experimenting with different note pitches and octaves. Adding multiple instances of Resonators in your fx chain can bring pleasant and unique results.

Overdrive

Add life to your tracks by placing subtle overdrive to frequency-specific sources such as hi-hats or snares. With Ableton’s Overdrive audio effect, target specific frequency ranges for best results. This leaves room for “crunching” the high-end of your tracks without affecting your mid and low frequencies. It goes without saying – always experiment with your Dry/Wet controls to add just the right amount of overdrive. Playing with the Dynamics knob will provide a “glue-ish” quality and smoothen out harsh harmonics.

Max 4 Live

If you own Ableton Suite Edition or have purchased it as a standalone utility, check out Max 4 Live. Max offers a vast array of ready-to-go plugins and other indispensable tools. One excellent device is Granulator II, a plugin that takes your audio files and divides it into small grains. By “rearranging” your sound sources according to the audio position, the length of grains, or scanning through the grains in a linear direction, Granulator II offers a world of possibilities and sounds.

For more Max 4 Live devices, visit maxforlive.com where you can find thousands of free devices.

Hidden Plugin Options

Did you know that most of Ableton’s native plugins have “hidden” menu options? Right-click on the plugin header bar in your channel to open the context menu. Where available, you should see the extra features at the bottom of the list. EQ Eight and Glue Compressor, for instance, have an oversampling option that increases the quality of your sound by providing extra protection from aliasing. Unknown to many, the Ping Pong Delay has three modes: Jump, Repitch, and Fade.